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We begin this March 23rd in Australia specifically the eastern state of New South Wales. It's the most populated state in the country with more than 8 million people.
Many of them struggled with the record bushfire season that struck in 2019 and 2020. Now they're dealing with the opposite problem, record breaking floods. More than 18,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Thousands more could be told leave in the days ahead because increasing rainfall is in the forecast. Extreme weather like bushfires, floods, droughts and storms, that's common in Australia.
What caused this problem according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology was the collision of two weather systems that brought tremendous amounts of rain to New South Wales. All along its eastern coast from its northern border to its southern one, the state is under a flood watch. Homes have been destroyed. Roads are underwater. Rivers have burst their banks. An Australian meteorologist says since last Thursday, some areas have seen more than three feet of rain.
That's five times what this region normally gets in the entire month of March and another two to four inches of rainfall was possible by Tuesday night. The New South Wales State Emergency Service says it's responded to thousands of calls for help.
Thousands of emergency workers and volunteers are on the ground assisting others. And the state's premier says the Australian military may be needed to help with the recovery. The government expects it will take a massive effort to clean up once the waters subside.
